My name is Amerigo. I
am 13 years old and I live on the street, alone. My mother, who is separated
from my father, doesn’t want me. She told me to go away .... Now she is married
to another man. My father lives very far away. I want to go to him, but he won't
take me either. I begged him to send me some money so that I could buy a bus
ticket. I am still waiting. He hasn’t answered. The streets are now my home.
Sometimes I find work. I used to collect trash[1] and
sell it to a vendor[2].
I stopped doing that after I had a serious infection and a doctor told me to
stay away from the trash dump[3].
Once I worked for an ice cream shop owner and sold ice cream on the beach. But
I got no money in return. The owner of the shop gave me something to eat, and
let me sleep in his hut at night.The work was difficult and painful[4].
The ice cream box is quite heavy when it is full. I had to walk for hours,
offering my ice cream to whoever wanted to buy. There were days when I could
not even sell one ice cream. In a way, I am lucky because I am alive. My
friends who work sorting rubbish in dumps often suffer from serious diseases.
One of them was recently killed after he fell into a hole that opened up in the
pile [5]of
trash. Many of us work for 10 to 12 hours, and get so little in return that we
can't even buy food. Shoe-shining is very popular among the street kids. A few
of my friends also work in factories and workshops. A boy I know lost one of
his eyes after a piece of hot glass flew into his eye at the glass factory
where he worked. The owner refused to pay for medical help and fired him. For
me, like all other children on the street, it is very hard. I am always hungry,
and I don't know where I will sleep the next night. I would like
to
live in my own home and sleep there in peace. The nights are very cold in the
winter. You can die of cold in the street.
The word “trash” ----a, tin b. damage c.
waste d.
nonsense
“Vendor” means ---a. driver
b. doctor c. owner d.
monger
The word “dump” means …where deposit waste or unwanted material
[4] Agonizing, tormenting , excruciating, thorny
Painful” means – agonizing
No comments:
Post a Comment